What kind of gigabit I/O can I use in FPGA?

[fath]

I am pretty new to FPGA. I need to design a system with up to 16 branches with 1Gbps data rate inputs to Cyclone IV board. What kind of I/O can I use in FPGA ? How difficult is it to implement? Where can I can get some reference?

 

[farhada]

Re: Giga bit I/O

Oh,
I didn't know cyclone IV can manage 1Gbps, but I would look into LVDS interface. You can use the Altera Mega Core for it, I believe it supports up to 840Msps per signal line, but then you have to handle many challenges to get the data synchronized in a way that works for you. running signals at that speed when you are new to FPGA is a BIG challenge.

Good luck,
/Farhad